Package vending apparatus



Oct. 7, 1947. F. H. osBoRNE PACKAGE VENDING APPARATUS Filed,Ju1y`15, 1944 Patented Oct. 7, 1 947 PATENT OFF! CE PACKAGE vENDINGnrPARnTUS ,Fred shorne, "Snyder, The V A Rudolphf'Wurli'tz'er" Company, ,"Nrth Trina-- tenian-Y"aefifariaflleritk j 'flpplioatilon J lily kv13, 1944, Sieri'ztluN't-L` Y f1 Y Thisinventionreiatesieenerally ioeertain, new and nsefnl `iinprovernents A vending machines, but pore .partienlarivto an .apparatus tor .dispensine packages or the like from. a n magazine ,One orf. its oloieots isto,.provide .an apparatus of this; onaraetercwhion is so desiened and eenstrneted as. tovrenfier it, `in .oo nstant ,readiness to deliver .a ,palflaseand simultaneously with. the dispensineof a paekagato thapairon to yolisoharee. another. paekaeeirorn the magazine into the .paokase-rooeivins and ,.dispensine-oontrol mearisoitheapparatns- Y,

n Another object, ofthe invention is to .provide the .apparatnswithanovel,means for Controlling the sueeessiveniseharge ofthe packages, iroin, the magazine intoLa .revolvineoarrier and from ihe laiterie the.patronthe carrier having ,a naekaserrep'ei'ving opening therein adapted to assume differentrelative positions for registration in onepositiontwith thev'rnaeazineto reoeive a package thereiiornand another .position to resister with the .discharge station of. the, ap,- paratus ,fondispensing the package to the patron- \A,fnr.i herrobiept is,v to provide. an apparatus for dispensing package merchandise which; isY designed ,drinne its operation. to eneotnallv. separate or break the packagesloose from one another should they. haye a tendency to stick together in the magazine.

A still furtherpb-jegct ist'o provide a package dispensing apparatus v which is simple, compact and inexpensivev in"cnstructonLwhich' is Vpositive and reliable in operation; `a'ridwhich is not liable to get out of'ordeil Other features of the invention relateto the construction and arrangerne'ntl of parts herein after described and particularly pointed out 'in theappndedclaii.' @I n' thacoompanying drawings:

1` Fi'giirelfis'a perspective view' ofthe dispensing apr'naratus embdyi'g'my invention. Figure? is an enlarged cross section thereof taken in the plane of line 2 2, Figure 1, showing the parts of one unit in a package-dispensing position and the parts of the companion unit in a position for receiving a package from the magazine. Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan vieW of the supporting table or platform showing the disposition of the discharge or dispensing opening therein in relation to the magazine, the latter toeing represented in dotted lines. Figure 4 is an end View, partly in section, showing the disposition of the magazine in relation to the companion dispensing control unit.

(01- ria-pa 2 y i. i Similar character of reference indicate corre- 4spondingparts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment ofthe invention shown in Figures `1;-3J whiehis designed for the handling.v and dispensing of rectangularfshaped packages l0, suchfor example lascigarette packages, Ilginf. silicates a supporting table orplatforrn on vvhipln.y the working parts. lof the apparatns are mounted and. I2; 'IZiindiCate apair of. magazines in which the packages to loek dispensed are stacked. These magazines are disposed side by side above the platform and supportedin any suitable .ashion in a substantially upright position as shown in, Figure 4. @Two magazines-are shown, by Wayof example, in the drawings Awithaccompanying dispensing control `units whereby whenonev of the magazines is operative to dischargeiavpackage therefrom intoyits dispensingcontrol unit, the companion unit is operative to dispense its package to the 'patron Aor customer'.` The platform; is provided in axial aline'ment With the respective magazines with companion' dispensingopenings l3,f,l3'which are of the same vsha-pe as the packages but slightly'larger to permit theirreadyedisatsubstantially rightangles to the' disposition;

of -f .the magazine whichfnecessitates a turning movement of'` eachpackage from its 'magazinecontained .position to a position in. registering alinement v the companion platform-dispensing. opening ,13.

interposed in the space nett/een the discharge ends of the magazines v1 2 and the ytop side of the entrain. l l' j ses assaut pf' the" dispensing" Opif ingsih' 4thieflatter are r'evolvable' package"-ccan'veyl-Y ing "members or carriers '|5`,l I5' constituting "dispensing control units, each of which functions at one time to support the packages contained in the respective magazine and at another time to receive the lowermost package from that magazine, part it from the stack and convey it to the discharge station or to the companion dispensing opening I3 in the platform Il. Each revolvable member contains an axiallydisposed opening I6 therein of a shape and size to receive a package from the magazine when such opening is presented in alined registration with the companion magazine. The axial dimension of the packagereceiving opening I 6 in the revolvable member is equal to the vertical dimension or thickness of the packages IU and when one of the latter is deposited into such opening it rests flatwise on the platform II with its top side flush with the vcontiguous top surface of such revolvable member, so that when the latter is turned the package contained therein is parted from the stack and brought into registering relation with the platform-opening I3 and dispensed therethrough by'gravity.

Each package-conveying member I5'is sup.

Y ter of a revolution, the package in the right hand to one of them is an actuating ratchet wheel I9 l an operative stroke to the dispensing control units bya manually-actuated rack bar disposed in meshing'engagement-l therewith. and having a handle 2| at its front end. This rack bar is disposed transversely of the platform and is mounted on a laterally swinging plate 22v pi'voted at its rear end at 23" to therplatform and having a spring 2l! connected-thereto for urging'the rack bar into' engagement with the ratchet wheel.

Guide'pins 25 and slots 26 serve to guide the rack bai` and limit or 4denne v its-fore and aft movements, and Ya'fkter'each voperative stroke a spring 2l connected to this bar serves to returnlit to its initial position. lA hold-back pawl 28 in engagement withthe'ratchet wheel'IQ prevents turning of the vsameandits associated parts dur'- ing the spring-urged 'return movement of the rack bar. During suchereturn movement the rack bar together with its supporting plate 22 is cammed to theright,l viewing Figure 1,-by its teeth sliding 'over' those vof the ratchet wheel. To compel movement of the rack bar through its full stroke it is provided along its outer edge with a rowv of ratchetteeth 29 and cooperating therewith'is a spring-pressed pawl 30. 1 InV operation,'assuming the parts to'be in a normalor at rest position "shown in Figure Y1, the

left hand dispensing control unit is in its dispensing position,v 'having justdi'scharged a package through 'the companion platform-opening I3 and with the lowermost package in itsmagazine resting inendwiser supporting engagement,l across the `companion discharge opening I3. Thus, when an operativegstroke lis imparted to the rack bar ,20v

to turn thepackage-conveying members a quaradapted to be driven in one direction to impart dispensing unit is moved into register with the platform-opening I3 and is discharged by gravity therethrough into the trough I4, and the lowermost package'in the left hand unit is dr-opped into the companion package-conveying memberY Vas soon as the receiving opening I6 therein'is presented in register-with such-package, the package being supported on the 'platform `crosswise of its companion discharge opening I3, Should the packages have a tendency to adhere to one another, the rotation of the conveying member relative to the magazine will effectually part or separate the lowermost package from the ady joining one Vand'there is therefore no tendency to plug or jam the apparatus.

I claim as my invention:

A package dispenser, comprising a pairV of magazines disposed side by side in spaced relation for receiving packages in stack-like fashion to be discharged individually VfromV the `bottom thereof, a platform 4disposed in spaced lrelation beneath the discharge ends of said magazines and having a pair of companion lopenings therein for the discharge of the packages, a Vpair of .Y

revolving, package-conveying kmembers disposed in thespac'e between said Vmagazines and said platform andV eachlconstitutingfat predetermined times, a support `for thestacked packagesin the companion magazines,` each ofsaidV members having an opening therein conforming in shape to the packages for registration at one time with its'coznpanion magaz'inef to `'receive av package therefrom in supporting relation to the platform and at another time forY registration with its companion platform-'openingto discharge a package therethrough, interrneshing` gears applied to Said package-'conveying members and including a ratchet wheel associated with one of them, a plate pivoted to said''platforn'iY alongside the vratchet wheel forV movementtoward and from the same,

a reciprocating rack bar guided onsaid plate in s operative engagement with: said ratchet wheel, and means'connected to' said 'plate and-platform for urgingv the plate infadire'ction to maintain its rack bar in engagement withthe ratchet Wheelg d l ,l YV, 

